Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg prøver å oversette en kort tekst, men oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt. - I try to translate a short text, but the translation is not perfect.

Jeg prøver å oversette = I’m trying *to translate*
Jeg prøver og oversette = incorrect in standard writing (it looks like I’m trying *and translate*)

Many Norwegians pronounce å and og almost the same, so in speech you may hear what sounds like og before a verb, but in writing you should always use å before an infinitive verb.

Why is it å oversette and not å oversetter?

After å, the verb must be in the infinitive form (the basic dictionary form).

oversette = infinitive (to translate)
oversetter = present tense (translate(s) / is translating)

So:

Jeg oversetter en kort tekst. = I am translating a short text.
Jeg prøver å oversette en kort tekst. = I’m trying to translate a short text.

The pattern is: å + infinitive
Examples: å spise, å skrive, å lese, å forstå.

Why is it en kort tekst and not something like ei kort tekst or et kort tekst?

Norwegian nouns have grammatical gender. In Bokmål there are three:

en (masculine)
ei (feminine, but often treated as en in Bokmål)
et (neuter)

The noun tekst is masculine, so its indefinite singular form is:

en tekst

When you add an adjective, the article still matches the noun’s gender:

en kort tekst = a short text

You cannot say et tekst because tekst is not neuter.
You will mostly see en tekst, not ei tekst, in standard Bokmål.

Why does it say en kort tekst in the first clause, but oversettelsen in the second clause?

In the first part, en kort tekst is indefinite:

en kort tekst = a short text (not a specific one the listener already knows about; it’s just some short text)

In the second part, oversettelsen is definite:

oversettelse = a translation (indefinite)
oversettelsen = the translation (definite)

We use the definite form because now we are referring to a specific, known translation:
the translation of that short text you are working on.

So the contrast is:

I’m trying to translate a short text, but the translation doesn’t turn out perfect.

How is oversettelsen formed from oversettelse?

The noun oversettelse (translation) is a feminine/masculine noun in Bokmål. Its basic forms:

Indefinite singular: en oversettelse = a translation
Definite singular: oversettelsen = the translation

The pattern for many nouns ending in -else is:

en …else → …elsen
- en oversettelse → oversettelsen
- en fortsettelse (a continuation) → fortsettelsen (the continuation)

Why is blir used instead of er in oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt?

The verb bli means to become / to turn out / to get. Here, blir suggests a result or outcome of the process:

oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt
= the translation doesn’t become/doesn’t turn out perfect

If you said:

oversettelsen er ikke perfekt
= the translation is not perfect

that describes a state right now.

So:

blir ikke perfekt focuses on the result of the attempt or process (it ends up not perfect).
er ikke perfekt simply states a fact about the translation as it is.

Can I say oversettelsen er ikke perfekt instead? What is the difference in meaning?

Yes, oversettelsen er ikke perfekt is grammatically correct.

Subtle difference:

…men oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt.
Emphasizes the process: No matter how I try, it doesn’t end up perfect.
…men oversettelsen er ikke perfekt.
Neutral statement of fact: The translation is not perfect (it has flaws).

In everyday conversation both could work, but blir ikke perfekt fits especially well when you’re talking about the result of your effort.

Why is ikke placed after blir and not before it?

In a normal main clause, ikke usually comes after the finite verb (the verb that shows tense).

Here, the finite verb is blir (present tense of bli), so:

oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt
Literally: the translation becomes not perfect

General rule in main clauses:

Subject: Oversettelsen
Finite verb: blir
ikke (and other sentence adverbs): ikke
Rest: perfekt

More examples:

Jeg forstår ikke. = I don’t understand.
Han kommer ikke i dag. = He is not coming today.
Vi kan ikke reise. = We cannot travel.

Why is there a comma before men?

In Norwegian, you normally put a comma before men when it connects two independent clauses (two full sentences).

Here we have:

Jeg prøver å oversette en kort tekst
oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt

Both have a subject and a verb, so each could stand alone as a sentence. They are linked by men (but), so we write:

Jeg prøver å oversette en kort tekst, men oversettelsen blir ikke perfekt.

This is similar to English:
I try to translate a short text, but the translation doesn’t turn out perfect.

Could I say Jeg forsøker å oversette en kort tekst instead of Jeg prøver å oversette en kort tekst?

Yes. prøve and forsøke are close in meaning:

prøve = to try
forsøke = to attempt / to try

Both are correct here:

Jeg prøver å oversette en kort tekst…
Jeg forsøker å oversette en kort tekst…

prøve is more common and slightly more informal; forsøke can sound a bit more formal or written, but the difference is small, and both are widely used.